The mind holds the key to all who we are today. After evaluation of millions of years, we have reached the top species position on earth by virtue of a highly developed brain. As humankind develops medicine through research, many specialists believe that the way to enlightenment lies in the journey within the human mind. One of the latest psychotherapy practices that are catching steam with each passing year is the Havening therapy.

How do you conduct havening?

Dr. Ronald Ruden developed this mode of treatment. This practice has helped to cure people of traumatic memories in the past. The best part of this treatment is that it requires barely 15 minutes and can be done by self. The self-havening technique consists of the following steps:

• Recall the traumatic event in your mind down to the last detail
• Gently touch and soothe the outer sides of upper arms on both sides.
• Soothe your palms followed with your eyes
• Imagine you are walking down a beach and count 20 steps with your eyes closed. Keep soothing your upper arms simultaneously
• Open your eyes and look laterally left to right for about 3 minutes while soothing your arms
• Imagine that you are descending a beautiful staircase and repeat the steps again

If you feel lighter at heart, it means the therapy worked. If not repeat it till you get the light feeling at different times of the day as per your convenience.

What is the science behind Havening?

When you provide a soothing touch, you are distracting your working memory from the traumatic event. This prevents the activation of the amygdala in the brain. Its simple logic your brain cannot focus on two thoughts at once.

Havening is a relatively new form of therapy but has long-lasting effects on patients who have undergone this treatment.